Mumbai Rains: Mumbai was placed under an orange alert on Friday as heavy rain lashed the city, disrupting daily life and flooding low-lying areas. The IMD said the alert is valid till Saturday morning, with no warnings issued beyond that.
Mumbai witnessed a wet Friday as cloudy skies in the morning gave way to a steady downpour by the afternoon, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue an orange alert for the city. The heavy showers disrupted daily life, from slowing traffic to impacting public gatherings, and raised concerns over waterlogging in several low-lying areas.
The IMD upgraded its yellow alert to an orange alert around 4pm on Friday, warning of “heavy to very heavy rainfall” till 8:30am on Saturday. However, officials have clarified that no alert has been sounded for Saturday after this period. The change in forecast came as showers intensified, affecting the Maratha quota protest at Azad Maidan and causing disruptions across the city.
According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the western suburbs received the maximum rainfall between 8:30am and 6pm on Friday, recording 61mm. The eastern suburbs saw 47mm, while the island city registered 30mm. IMD observatories reported even higher figures, with Santacruz logging 77mm of rain till 5:30pm, and Colaba recording 32.2mm.
As the showers continued, the Andheri subway had to be shut due to flooding, with Link Road and parts of Kurla also reporting waterlogging. These conditions led to traffic snarls and added to commuters’ woes in the evening hours.